SiLanna
by Lunar-Draconis
Summary: The land of SiLanna was cut off from the worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant when the two were split. Thousands of years later, the barrier seperating them is broken, if only for a minute. The people of SiLanna wish to return to the worlds they had lost...


**-Approx. 8 years before the birth of Colette Brunel, in the land of SiLanna, realm of Dragons-**

(The dragon girl leaves her homeland in search of the leader of Cruxis, the organization which restricted her people to living in only one land, cut off from the rest of the world. Her mission; to remove the barrier across her dimension and allow the dragon people to roam free once again.)

_The would-be sorceress stood before a large stone arch, a great number of others surrounding the base the arch stood on. Humans, great dragons, small dragons, even a few elves looked on in curiosity and wonder as the young lady stared in some trepidation at the arch before her. She swallowed, her heart beating quickly as she glanced around. No one had managed to break the seal yet, and many had lost their lives trying... most, in fact. She looked back at the archway, a faint layer of shimmering mist inside it, but easy to see through. Long ago, it must have been simple to see that this was more then decoration, the swirling blue of an interdimentional portal unmistakable. Now it just looked slightly foreboding, the stone beginning to erode away due to age._

_She looked over her shoulder at a cry behind her, and the smallest of her adoptive family ran up to her, tackling into her stomach and nearly knocking the wind out of her. "Be careful, sis..." the little one murmured into the larger girl's stomach. "I won't forgive you if you don't make it through the portal."_

_The larger girl smiled, patting the smaller on the head. "Don't worry... So long as you and the others are standing strong, I'll be fine," she said, looking up at the rest of her family. The glowing faces of her other sisters and brother, the dragons pretending to be humans whom helped raise her. The slightly worried expression on her brothers' face; her other sisters smiling through the worry and stress that may come soon. Her mother, the delicate lines on her face... her father was long gone. An elderly dragon cleared his throat near the arch, and the small girl was taken from the older by officially-dressed guards as the older turned, to face her fate head-on. "Candria Jenlic..." the elderly dragon said, peering at her. "You are sure you wish to do this? Many have lost their lives in the attempt to return to the severed world of humans."_

_The young dragoness on the platform raised her head high. "None have been like me, elder." she said proudly. "I am confident I can fulfill my duty as the one who slips through the barrier. I can infiltrate the organization that sealed off SiLanna and remove what is keeping us from the other lands, the human lands of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant."_

_The elder bowed his head slightly. "You realize that, should you succeed in stopping the barrier for long enough to get through, you are unlikely to be able to return until your mission is complete?" he asked, his tone grave and defeated. It was clear he did not believe she could do this._

_She nodded, a slight lump in her throat forming as she did so. She kept from looking over her shoulder at her family. If she failed... "I know, elder." she said, her voice steady. The elder bowed his head and stepped away, leaving the platform clear for the dragoness. She raised her arms and silence fell in the watchful crowd. The archway shimmered and swirled before her as her vision went blurry, a bright glow issuing from both archway and caster. Just as the feeling became too much for the caster, and she was ready to fall, the mist began swirling faster and became a darker color. The mist opened a crack, and the crowd gasped as one as the portal opened and the spell ceased, the dragon girl falling to her knees before the large crack in the dimensions. "I... did it..." she said weakly, standing very shakily. "I... I really did it..."_

_As one, the crowd screamed and roared its approval as the elder, looking shocked beyond belief, scrambled up the platform. "GO!" he cried, giving the girl a poke between the shoulder blades. "Before it closes again! We're counting on you, Lady Candria!"_

_The next thing she knew, she was sailing through the air and then landing hard on a grassy plain in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. She could still distantly hear the roar of the crowd behind her. She sat up quickly and saw a crack in midair closing, and saw her littlest sister scrambling to get through, being held back by her brother and another sister. Tears were evident on all three of their faces, though were they of happiness or sadness it was impossible to tell. She raised her arm and waved, feeling tears forming herself as she said a silent farewell to her family and the realm in which she grew up. As the crack sealed itself before her, she watched as her sister broke free of the other two and ran at the portal, but it was sealed before she made it. Hanging her head briefly, Candria stood up, and sighed. "'Lady', huh..." she said, a slightly amused note in her voice. "Guess I'm some fancy noble now I've done what no other could..." she turned and began walking in the direction she hoped was some civilization, her eyes on the ground before her. She was so tired... Feeling the effects of draining all her mana set in, she collapsed onto the ground in front of her, left for the world to deal with._

(She was found later by Forcystus, leader of the nearby Human Ranch. She was taken into the ranch and allowed a few days rest before she awoke, complaining of bad dreams come true. The desians set to watch her ran to get their leader, and she was questioned. It was found out that she was a dragon whom assumed the form of a human, and wished to assist Cruxis in its goal of creating the new age of Half-Elves, the dream in which lay the redemption of all Half-Elves.)

**-Derris-Kharlan, refuge for the Angels and half-elves-**

(Candria gets angry with one of the Desian Grand Cardinals, Forcystus, and forces him to call on Pronyma, leader of the Grand Cardinals. She is taken to Lord Yggdrasill after nearly demolishing Forcystus's ranch out of rage at the desians for trying to turn her into one of their exsphere host bodies.)

"_Lord Yggdrasill, the dragon maiden has arrived to speak with you."_

"_This had better be worth my time. Let her in."_

_The angel bowed out of the way and opened a door, and in walked Candria, eyes sweeping the dark stonework of the castle room before falling on the head of Cruxis. "Lord Yggdrasill..." she said, bowing before him on one knee. "It is such a pleasure to meet you."_

_The cold stare from the angel before her could almost be physically felt; she blinked but dared not look up. The sense of unlimitable power coming from him was a little scary. "You claim to be a dragon... and to have power that will benefit Cruxis. You do not look like any dragon I have ever seen." he said coolly, watching her closely. She sure didn't seem like any elf or half-elf... but definitely had mana about her... _

_She nodded, speaking to the floor. "I am of an advanced kind who can change their form to look like a human at will. I would show you proof of my dragon blood, but... I fear this room would crumble. Dragons are rather big, yaknow."_

_He narrowed his eyes. "I will have to test you before you will be able to join Cruxis..." he said, holding one hand out. A bright ball of energy appeared there and she visibly winced, the power behind that small ball was immense. It was clear he was not one to trifle with. "I wish to know just how strong you really are. If what Pronyma says is true, you nearly destroyed the Iselia ranch... it will take a great deal of strength to fix the damage you did." the energy vanished and he raised his hand, beckoning the random angel from the shadows near the door to come closer. "I wish for you to repair the ranch, without assistance or guidance. If you are familiar enough with the technology they use, you should have no trouble. If you aren't..." he smirked lightly. "I doubt you'll be of much use to us."_

_She nodded again, still speaking to the floor. "Understood, my Lord." she said quietly. "I shall not disappoint you."_

(She was transported to the desecrated ranch, where she was told she would have three days to repair the damage and that she would be watched 24/7 to make sure she got no help. Those desians which were set to watch her were soon standing in a stunned silence as she zipped about gleefully, repairing all the cracks in the walls and broken tiles, and fixing the machines with little trouble. She took no more then fifteen hours to finish and get the ranch operational again, using a combination of magic and the sheer strength her dragon form had to offer. Baffled at both her speed and quality of work, not to mention the gleeful way she got everything done in, the desians reported to Pronyma with nothing but good things to say. Grudgingly, she took Candria back to Derris-Kharlan, where she was instated as an actual member of Cruxis.)

(Some time passed, and she was gradually moved up through the ranks as she became more trustworthy. The lower-ranking angels grew to respect her greatly, and even some of the higher-ups had a soft spot for the dragon maiden. She never failed to bring a smile to the faces of those few angels she counted as friends, zoned out as the angels tended to become.

The leaders of Cruxis were still wary of her, the highest of angels and the three remaining Seraphim. It was clear she was not wholly trusted by leader Yuan, whom she had recently been seen prodding about some of the deeper reasons of Cruxis's existence. It was similar with leader Kratos, though most said he was distant with everyone, and his distance from the dragon maiden was nothing special. What was remarkable was the coldness with which she was still treated by Lord Yggdrasill, for trust her with some tasks me might, it was clear he did not like having her around. He sent her on missions that took her away from Derris-Kharlan as often as possible, be it taking word to the Pope in Tethe'alla or making sure the various ranches were still totally operational in Sylvarant.

When not on any specific mission, she took to bobbing around Welgaia with her friend, Melody. The angel had literally run into Candria one day when she was still new around Welgaia, and they became fast friends, despite Melody's slight hint of doll-like personality. The dragon had become well-accustomed to life on Derris-Kharlan within a few months, and most thought her likely to join the inner sanctum of most trusted people within Cruxis within a matter of weeks.)

(That prediction did not come true, however. A year passed since she had first dropped into the hands of Cruxis and still she was shunted aside when it came to the innermost workings. Though most had warmed up to her by now, still more trusted angels shook their heads at her whenever she asked certain questions. She had even managed to earn a grudging trust from Pronyma and Yuan by this time, though Kratos remained distant and, despite her efforts to change this, Yggdrasill remained defiantly cold toward her. She had grown out of her fright of him somewhat now, it had turned into interest of his ideals and why he was doing what he was. She felt no pity for the humans that were being sacrificed in the process of creating exspheres, and she greatly wanted to know all she could about why the worlds were split in two, but she was having an extremely hard time getting anything out of anyone.

Though her situation got much easier one day with the apparently random appearance of a girl she had known briefly some large number of years before. She was a self proclaimed half-breed to end all half-breeds, a dragon that had the blood of an elf. Half-elven dragons were one in a million, for the blood was not meant to be mixed. It created creatures that were far too powerful for their own good, generally the young ones that were born between a dragon and elf died soon after birth. Not her, though. She was the first on record to have survived for any notable length of time, and she proved that power flowed through her veins. Most called her the dimension-hopper, for she had access to portals that no others had, she alone could see them. A rift opened between her dimension and the one of Derris-Kharlan, and she hopped through, landing squarely on top of Pronyma as she gave a speech to the angels of Derris-Kharlan.)

"_What was that?" echoed the angels, peering over one another's heads at Lady Pronyma as she struggled to get up from underneath what appeared to be a lump of cream-colored fabric. The fabric jumped up and rolled off of Pronyma, and it was revealed to be a girl with large pointed ears and a somewhat bemused expression on her face. "Ah, Becky, we've gotta learn to land better..." she said offhandedly to a glimmer of light near her shoulder, and the light morphed into a large catlike creature with four ears and a lion's tail. The cat looked down at Pronyma, who was just managing to get to her feet. "Sorry about that..." the one called Becky said, smiling in a slightly sheepish manner._

"_I blame it on you." the large-eared girl said, flipping her long, dark blonde hair out of her face and looking around at the crowd of angels, all staring blankly at the two newcomers. "...Hiya! I'm Mai and I'll be your creepy stalker person for this century. Nice to meet you all!" she said, beaming out across the angels, who all looked at one another in alarm._

_A loud cry was heard and the girl called Mai was knocked off her feet by a blur of crimson and gold, as Becky looked on in alarm. Pronyma joined the legions of horribly confused angels as said blob turned out to be Candria, who was squealing on the ground with the new girl. They were babbling in some unknown language as the cat-woman Becky blinked in alarm, trying to assess the situation properly. Pronyma hovered over the two babbling women, glaring at them. "Get OUT OF HERE." she cried, pointing to a door nearby. "I don't have time to deal with you right now!"_

_Becky raised a hand. "Personally I do not believe letting these two roam free together is the best idea," she said shortly, but she was ignored as Pronyma began charging up a spell. Candria grabbed Mai by the wrist and bolted for the door, cackling as she went and knocking a few stunned angels out of the way. Becky shrugged and followed, thinking she ought to keep some sort of control over the two that had just been set loose over Derris-Kharlan._

(It turned out Becky was an alien from another dimension Mai had once visited, and the two had befriended one another. Becky, capable of making herself nearly invisible, was perfect for infiltrating Cruxis records and finding out just what was going on behind the scenes. Mai, having been one of Candria's close friends, stuck to the dragon maiden like glue, learning how life was led in Derris-Kharlan. Yggdrasill, for whatever reason, did not like the idea of another dragon within Cruxis, and was point-blank refusing to accept her assistance until it was said she was a half-breed. Grudgingly it seemed, he allowed her to stay with Candria on the condition that Derris-Kharlan was kept as orderly as it was the second Mai appeared in the dimension.

Unfortunately, that wasn't horribly orderly, her having interrupted Pronyma in the middle of telling the angels how things stood.

Yay for loopholes!)

(They kept just under the radar of the higher-ups as Mai and Candria prowled around Welgaia and Yggdrasill's castle. Not finding much themselves, Rebecca joined their quest, and the alien proved to be invaluable as she transmitted information from the record books scattered throughout Derris-Kharlan. Within a month they were as well-versed in the inner workings of Cruxis as most of the upper angels, and had found out exactly why the worlds were split in two. The loss of Martel and the Great Seed were crushing blows to both Yggdrasill and the world itself, it was plain that without splitting the worlds, everything would die. By making the worlds vie for the small supply of mana being given off by the great seed, he had prevented the development of technologies that wasted mana and destroyed everything in their paths. What was also clear, was that no one within Cruxis was aware of the existence of SiLanna, therefore, no one was aware of the barrier that had been placed when Tethe'alla and Sylvarant got split into two.)

(Another year passed without huge incident, though Derris-Kharlan was more then used to having two rambunctious dragons amidst the angels by now. Hardly a day went by where something was not getting broken, or a higher-ranked angel bothered to extreme anger by various "torture" methods.

They had proven themselves horribly useful too, however. When the Palmacosta ranch was threatened by three gigantic trolls, said trolls were reduced to ashes by the dragons who claimed to answer to Yggdrasill.

Speaking of the head boss, he was very slowly warming up to the dragon maidens. Though still cautious, he now knew there was no way to deny their power any longer. Gradually he allowed Candria to spend more and more time around him, for she seemed horribly interested in how things were run and why. He came to find that she had quite a sharp brain - and tongue - on her. Whenever he allowed her to follow him around, she was making quips about something or criticizing one or another of the Cardinals for something they were doing. Though that wasn't without annoyance either, for she got horribly bored horribly fast.)

"_Good grief, could that have been messed up more?" Candria hissed, tapping a few keys on the control panel in front of her. "I'll get you for this one Rodyle..." she tapped another key and the screen before her changed. It showed not a latitude and longitude board, but a small grid with red and white dots all over it. A line of text appeared at the bottom of the screen._

'Hope you're not too much of a sore loser, for I am about to win!_'_

"_Oh, yeah, right. You've got four more hits before you finish me off!" she retorted to the screen, tapping out a reply on the keypad in front of her._

_A door opened behind her but she didn't look around, being too engrossed in the screen. She still didn't look around as whoever had entered the door stepped into the room to stand behind her, looking at the screen over her shoulder. She tapped out a command on the panel and the grid changed back to the latitude and longitude screen. She poked a few more keys and it changed back, showing another red dot on the grid farthest from her. She beamed. "Yesss a hit!"_

"_Am I quite mistaken, or are you using that communicator to play battleship?" asked a dry voice behind her, and she gave a huge start and wheeled around to stare up into the face of Yggdrasill. "Uh... well...Y-you're not mistaken my lord." she said, shrinking beneath his gaze. "Rodyle was yammering about how he can't lose at anything and well... I just got the idea to reprogram the communicator so it could play games..."_

_Yggdrasill sighed heavily. "Sometimes your expertise with this technology is a real headache..." he said, turning his back on her and the panel. "...Just don't lose and I'll let it slide." he said, before walking out the door he had come in through. _

_Candria gaped at him, temporarily forgetting to check the board, which was blinking at her with a red dot on her side of the grid. She couldn't believe she had just gotten off totally free with reprogramming a delicate piece of equipment. '...Oh well, time's a-wastein'!"_

_She turned back to the screen and commenced whipping the short bespectacled desian, smirking all the while. "I AM under Lord Yggdrasill's orders to win, after all..." she said, smirking as the pushed the 'send' button on the panel and saw that the last red dot needed had appeared on Rodyle's side of the grid. She had just won._

(And so it continued, for several years the never-wavering loyalty the two dragons showed to Cruxis shined through, though Rebecca the alien stayed behind the scenes best she could. Slowly, though, Mai began to waver from her instructions and kept having to have Candria go behind her and fix little things she did incorrectly. After a bit Mai just stopped receiving orders, and Candria gained in rank again, surpassing Mai and finally being told some of the more secrety secrets of Cruxis, slowly growing on the leaders.

Soon, though, there was mutiny and betrayal as Kratos abandoned Cruxis and fled to earth, leaving shock and hurt behind. It was reported up through the chain of command that he had taken a human bride, a host body in a very important experiment at the Ranch held by Kvar, though Kvar did not realize exactly who it was that had come in contact with the host body, human name of Anna.)

(Not much is known by the dragons of what happened in the interim, but Kratos returned some time afterward, defeated, weak, and again pledging himself to Cruxis. It was never seen by anyone, but it is said that the fury of Yggdrasill was something to behold when Kratos came crawling back.)

(In the time Kratos was gone, all of Cruxis was in a riot due to the birth of the new Chosen of Mana, Colette Brunel. The angel Remiel having placed the chosen's Cruxis Crystal upon her at birth, he was being honored among the angels as one who would become a new member of the Seraphim. Candria and Mai, smirking to one another, knew that would not come to pass from something Yggdrasill had let slip as he was speaking to them just after Colette's birth. They didn't dampen the spirits of the angels, though; it was fun watching them faun over Remiel.)

"_I wonder if any of them realize that Remiel doesn't have the credentials to be truly considered as one of the Seraphim..." Candria remarked, watching from a balcony as, far below, Remiel was fending off a few lower-class angels. Mai, standing next to Candria, snorted with laughter. "Those walking dolls? Of course not, Candi. They don't know anything they're not specifically told."_

"_Not all of them." Candria retorted, "Melody isn't totally robotic, nor is Remiel. It seems to very with the strength of the heart that is being taken over by the Crystal."_

_Mai rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, madam dragoness." she said, turning to leave Candria on the balcony to herself. "If they're not totally robotic, some of the better-looking angels won't totally ignore me as usual."_

_Candria smirked widely. "Is that to say the not-so-good-looking ones DON'T ignore you?"_

_Mai paused. "...Shut up." she said, before vanishing down the stairs. Candria snickered. "Works every time."_

(Once the hysteria over Colette had calmed down and Kratos returned, life returned to normal on Derris-Kharlan. Though most said Candria stood on the brink of another promotion, she doubted this, for any higher and she would barge in upon the advisors that went straight to Yggdrasill. Though he didn't treat her remotely coldly anymore, she was still slightly frightened of him, and she doubted weather he would want someone like her on his council. She was highly surprised, therefore, when she was called to his quarters in a seemingly random fashion one particularly bleak night (or was it day?) on Derris-Kharlan.)

"_You called me, my lord...?" came the slightly timid voice of Candria, after knocking and being told to enter the door which led to the inner part of the castle. Yggdrasill looked up from the notes he was pouring over and nodded. "Yes. It has come to my attention that the previous guardian of my castle has... vanished." he stood up straighter and faced her completely, his hands clasped behind his back. "I thought, yourself being of the species which may know a small amount more then myself on magical creatures... you might have some ideas on what would be a more suitable guardian then the demon we had."_

_Candria blinked. "You mean that big snow leopard? She LEFT? Aw man, she was cool too..." she cleared her throat. "Um. Yes, I have a suggestion. I've run into some of my kind that lingered here when we moved to our current dimension, lower along the evolution train. Dragons that are capable of speech but unable to transform into humans. I think a dragon would make the perfect guardian. I may be biased, of course." she smiled dryly, and was shocked to see him smile very slightly himself. "Yes... I considered a dragon. If you can find me a suitable candidate, Candria, there will be a reward for you."_

_Candria nodded and bowed. "Right away, my Lord. I shall not disappoint," she said, vanishing into thin air._

_He smiled dryly. "I know you won't..."_

(Candria returned within the hour with a large dragon in tow, it claimed to be a dragon of darkness and would be pleased to guard the castle of Derris-Kharlan. Impressed, Yggdrasill announced her one of his advisors, much to the dismay of the others whom called themselves advisors. Mai, upon hearing the news, squealed and thwacked Candria on the back, proclaiming things that she had never heard in her life, let alone argued with Mai about.

Ignoring that, Candria was very pleased with her new title, and eagerly awaited any further instruction, for she had grown quite fond of her boss and Lord. Not remotely afraid of him anymore, she took to popping up right next to him at various times, usually when he was attempting to find a certain book in his extremely extensive collection of them. Far from annoying, it amused him after he had gotten used to it, for she had proved useful in finding things, though that was more to Rebecca's credit then her own.)

(Another several months passed, and Mai and Melody were growing bored. Candria had been spending increasing amounts of time with Yggdrasill, and the other two felt the effects of it in increasing boredom and getting in trouble more often. They had no idea what went on when the two spent those increasing hours alone, but Mai's little visions of a secret love affair were far from truth.

In reality, they had become quite fond of one another, being able to bounce ideas back and forth and having their minds run along nearly the same track was very beneficial. It was near this time that Yggdrasill found out that Candria was not pure-blood as she pretended, but a rare half-dragon, persecuted and killed on-site if any were ever found in her world.)

_The two stood on the bridge overlooking the castle doors, watching the dragon of darkness sleep. They had just had to stop the former guardian from murdering the dragon, for apparently the snow-demon had just gone to visit the Summon Spirit of Ice in the tumult of Colette's birth. Candria had transformed and attacked the demon, the battle was short and sweet as the ice-demon fled in wake of the dragon's flame. Impressed with this quick show of superiority, Yggdrasill had requested she stay and make sure the leopard didn't come back. Only to be met with the retort that she'd only do so if it was a direct order, or if he stayed too to keep the boredom from making her engulf the entire castle in flames. He opted for the latter since even if it was a direct order, she still may get bored enough to light the stone castle on fire. Laws of physics did not matter to that particular dragon._

_She leaned over the banister, grinning at the dragon below them. "He's kinda cute when he's sleeping" she said, tilting her head to the side as she gazed at the dragon below. He glanced at the dragon and made a noncommittal noise, returning to the book he had in his hands. She looked at him and smirked, snapping the book shut. "C'mon, you've lived for four thousand years; you've surely read that book already."_

_He glared halfheartedly at her. "Perhaps. What difference does that make?"_

_She smiled. "Pay attention to stuff around you just this once, eh? I know the black and purple swirlyness of Derris-Kharlan gets boring after a while but it's still fun to watch."_

_He smirked and glanced to his right, where said swirly sky could be seen clearly. "I've stared at that sky long enough. You don't know what it's like to live for this long..." he glanced at her. "Or do you? I don't know very much about your kind."_

_She paused, staring unseeingly at the sky as well. "Dragons are... very long-lived." she said after a moment. "Our lifespans rival that of elves, we live probably a bit longer then they do. Around two thousand years. I've only lived..." she counted for a moment on her fingers, "Two-hundred something. I think there was a dragon in the kingdom that was nearing 2500 years before I left."_

_He nodded. "And your friend Mai? She is half of each naturally long-lived species..." Candria snorted. "Mai's in the same boat as you. She's not gonna die from old age, it's impossible. Only difference is that you can control your appearance, she can't."_

_He smiled vaguely. He seemed to have no reply to that, merely stared at the swirling sky. Candria was quiet for a few moments, daring herself to say what she should. "My lord..." she said slowly. He looked around at her. "I think you have been under the impression that I am a full-blood dragon all this time."_

_He blinked. "You're not?" he asked, intrigued._

_She shook her head slowly. "No... I'm half human. That's why I wasn't raised by my actual mother and father. Half-human dragons are totally outlawed in my world, I'm not sure why but it's a rule passed down through the castle. Upon discovery, the child and human who parented them are killed... the dragon punished in horrible ways. The only reason I am alive is because of one of my 'siblings'... she took a curse in place of my death. Cursed to remain a small size and, in every aspect, age for the rest of her life. She has been eleven since the day that curse hit her, and that was... nearly two hundred years ago."_

_A slightly stunned silence met these words, and it was a few moments before he spoke. "You're more persecuted then the half-elves are..." he said quietly. "Why did the one who got cursed save you?"_

_She smiled wryly. "We had been friends in secret for quite some time. She came from a rare family, one who totally disregards the rulings of the castle and lives how they want to. When the castle goons found me and my family, I fled with her on my mother's wishes. They were both killed, and the goons hunted us down... but she stepped in and pleaded with them to take her to the castle instead. I was lucky enough that the goon that was leading them was softhearted when it came to kids. He let me slide in exchange for the curse placed on my sister."_

_Yggdrasill stared with slightly out-of-focus eyes, drinking in every word and thinking about how his own sister had sacrificed herself for the sake of the world. "We're... more alike then I thought." he said after a few moments, looking out across the swirling sky again. "We both had siblings that sacrificed themselves for one reason or another."_

_Candria nodded sadly. "I miss my sisters and brother..." she said quietly. He looked at her again. "Why is it you came here, anyway? And why can't you get back?"_

_Her eyes widened. She still had not told him that it was he who sealed off the world she was from. "It's... complicated." she said after a few moments. "I'd rather not try to explain right now."_

_He returned his gaze to the sky, thinking about what he had just found out. He would have to find out why she could not return home at some point. She herself kept her eyes on the stones at her feet, wondering why exactly she was not telling him the reason she had come. It would of course be a simple matter for him to remove the barrier. But... was there... part of her that didn't want to leave? She had very few ties to the world she was in now, and so many back home. But... the ties she had here seemed harder to pull away from._

_Yggdrasill leaned back against the banister of the bridge, abruptly bringing Candria out of her thoughts by accidentally placing his hand on top of hers. He didn't seem to notice at once, but she sure did, and she felt her face burn for the blushing. She wanted to slap herself for the mere feeling, but at the same time... Daring herself to do so, she leaned slightly to her right, into his shoulder. He looked around, an eyebrow raised, and smirked slightly at her. "Was the battle with the demon more taxing then it looked?" he asked, not seeming to mind her leaning on him. She found this a good excuse while she figured out exactly why she was doing this, so she nodded. He chuckled lightly, patting her on the head with his other arm. She felt the ever-present feathers on his wrists brush against her cheek as he did so and she started very lightly. She stood up straight again and grabbed his hand, examining the feathers more closely. He watched her, perplexed. She looked up into his face, eyes shining with curiosity. "My lord... could you make your other wings appear? I want to see what they feel like."_

_Caught off-guard by this odd request, he obeyed, the wings at his back appearing at once. He glanced over his shoulder at them. "Go right ahead." he said, still sounding a might confused. Candria reached out a hand and stroked the feathers lightly, a soft gasp escaping her mouth. They were... warm. Really warm and soft. She hadn't expected them to give off their own heat, though looking at the way they glowed... she shouldn't be so surprised._

_He watched her expression of a slightly surprised rapture, amused. "Am I to be worried?" he asked lightly, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Oh, no. I'm just surprised they're so... warm." she said, withdrawing her hand quickly. He raised an eyebrow and brushed the feathers on his wrist across her cheek again, totally meaning to that time. She suppressed a shudder of glee as he did so, they were so... warmandcuddlyandyee. His smirk widened as her blush came back in full force; she looked off to the side, smiling sheepishly. It was only then she noticed how very close together they were. Her heart beat hard and fast as she felt his hand caress her chin gently, bringing her face up to his and brushing his lips against hers. Time seemed to stop for a brief moment as she returned the kiss, and she felt his arms close around her as she closed the little distance between them._

_A small sparkle and wink of light appeared above them, and a catlike grin appeared against the dark sky as the nearly-invisible Rebecca sped off through the night to report this interesting turn of events to Mai. What fun this may turn out to be._

(Or... maybe Mai's fantasies weren't as off-base as thought.)

(In the weeks following the encounter on the bridge, a marked difference in the way Candria acted could be noted if one watched her closely enough. She had more energy, she more often took to bouncing off the walls with Mai and Melody now, annoying everyone in the vicinity with singing and high-energy babble in odd languages. She laughed more easily, though that was saying something because it didn't take much to make her laugh to begin with, but it was seldom that she wasn't laughing these days.

A teasing viciousness had taken her over as well. She was asserting her obvious authority over the other two with the playful baring of her fangs or else the crack of a whip she had the ability to conjure out of fire. This scared Melody slightly, but Mai loved it, often egging Candria on enough to get her to pull the whip out, for Candria did not yet know Rebecca had been anywhere near her in the last few weeks. Mai had told no one what Rebecca had witnessed, for she was smart enough to know what secrets should remain secret. Nevertheless, Mai knew just what buttons to push without letting anything slip.)

(The wonderful little secret Candria carried around empowered her. She had begun giving orders to the lower level angels, something she had never done before, and she was pleased to see they obeyed her without question. Those angels who still outranked her became suspicious, however. They thought her out stepping her place. They took their complaints of her to Yuan, who waved them away saying there was nothing he could do. It had been plain from the first day she entered Cruxis that she took orders from only certain members, and Yuan was never one of the ones she followed. Outraged at the insolence of this, the angels took their case instead to Yggdrasill, though that was a large mistake on their part.)

"_They all got demoted? Every one of them?" Melody asked a harassed-looking Remiel, astonished, as Mai and Candria roared with laughter. "Shut UP, you two!" she added over her shoulder, though the two laughing merely laughed harder._

_Remiel glared at Candria, hatred evident in his features. "Every one of them who brought up something against her. Lord Yggdrasill said they had no right to be complaining about her ordering others around when they themselves had abused their positions since they day they gained them."_

"_That's gotta leave him with... what... three advisors?" Melody asked, still sounding awestruck. Candria's laughter, if possible, increased._

_Remiel rolled his eyes. "It's not like he ever used them for anything. He only appointed them in the first place to keep them from aggravating those whom he truly trusted."_

'_Which weren't many...' Candria thought, stopping her laughter with difficulty to listen more closely, though a broad grin remained. Mai continued to snigger, her thoughts banging off the walls of her skull and crisscrossing into horrible visions of what may have been the real reason Yggdrasill had demoted the angels in Candria's defense. Naturally that was mostly her crazed mind making things up._

"_So I can boss them around now too?" Candria asked Remiel, beaming. Remiel glared at her again. "I do not know. You will need to speak with Lord Yggdrasill about that. I would wager a guess at yes, however."_

"_Yesss!" Mai said triumphantly, punching the air and falling backwards onto her back. Candria ignored her. "Excellent. Let's see how they like being kept in the dark about some things." she said, grinning in a wicked way so her short fangs showed. "Vengeance is bittersweet."_

(It turned out, she _could_ boss nearly everyone in Derris-Kharlan around now. She was on an even plane with Remiel at the top of the ladder, and she was thoroughly enjoying her newfound power and freedom. She far from abused it, however, in fact she hardly had to flaunt any kind of authority to anyone. They kind of knew not to bother her. Except Mai. Because Mai likes bothering people.

She used her power for having fun, really. In the long time that had to be wasted away while waiting for the new Chosen to begin her journey, Candria seemed to take it upon herself to make sure there wasn't a dull moment in Derris-Kharlan. She had befriended another angel, a male by the name of Ren, and along with Melody and Mai, the four of them created havoc wherever they went.)

(And still her secrets were well kept. She had since found out that Mai knew of the attraction between her and Yggdrasill, but didn't truly mind it so long as Mai knew to keep her mouth shut. In all honesty, Candria had never had so much fun in her life, having five very close and very gossipy friends (including Rebecca; the one who usually brought topics to gossip about) and a man who, for the most part, shared her visions and ideals. Not to mention the high she attained off of having so much control over life on Derris-Kharlan. Part of her did miss her homeland, her sisters and brother, all the friends she had had before. But... she did not miss having to hide her identity. She had always hated pretending to be a full-blood dragon; it was too great a lie for her. Here, she was accepted for who she was. Perhaps in part /because/ of who she was. Even Mai, who never used to want to stay in one place for long, seemed to be happy on Derris-Kharlan.)

(The secret life Candria and Yggdrasill led behind the scenes remained, as Candria would put it, a "fun little secret which would asplode the minds of most should they know!"

In reality, the two of them remained as industrious as ever. Their minds seemed to synch when push came to shove, together they had managed to build on the plans he had created long ago. Linking the unique brand of magic the dragon had to offer with angelic magic created strange spells unseen in any world before, some of the magic wonderfully beneficial to the caster, some of it as destructive as a raging hurricane. It had come to her attention in all their planning, however, that there were several flaws in his master plan. She did not bring these up, for she knew him well enough by now that he would either have foreseen these flaws already or was blinded to them. Were it the latter, there was little she could do.

Nevertheless, her affection for him grew the more time she spent around him. She had often ended up snoozing against his shoulder, having worked long into the night over various plans or calculations. In fact she cuddled up close to him at every available moment, and he never once complained, though he was never the one to start the cuddling either. However, he had found, quite by accident, that her back was a rather weak spot. All he had to do was run his hand along her spine and she'd go totally limp, and totally at his command. Rebecca would say that that discovery had come in handy at times.

Candria would deny everything. 3)

"_No. No, no, nonono."_

"_It won't kill you."_

"_NO!"_

_Yggdrasill sighed, annoyed at Candria's unhelpfulness. "Come on. We need to check on the Tethe'alla Chosen, and you're the one who knows Meltokio best."_

"_I hate it in Meltokio." she muttered, arms crossed in front of her. "It reminds me of the kingdom back home where I had to hide my face from the guards or else risk being found out by someone."_

_He watched her for a moment, trying to think of how to persuade her. "Knowing what you're like, I think you'll like the Tethe'alla Chosen." he said after a moment, a very faint note of resentment in his voice._

_She blinked at him. "What I'm like? What am I like?"_

_He smirked dryly. "You're full of lust. From what I know of your days when Mai was with you in your homeland, the two of you were out on the town every night trying to attract someone. From what is said, the Chosen is quite a womanizer. Seems like you would get on well, should he bring about memories of your older days."_

_She stared blankly at him for a moment, before grinning sleekly. "Perhaps. Though you should know you're the only one I hold lust for."_

_He smiled in a disbelieving sort of way. "So you'll come with me?"_

"_No."_

_He made a noise of slight frustration and she snickered. "Fine." he said, approaching her. She watched him walk toward her but said nothing, realizing what he was doing a split second too late. Her arm twitched slightly as she closed her eyes, feeling his hand run from her neck to the small of her back. She swallowed hard and glared halfheartedly over her shoulder at him. "That's not playing fair."_

_He smirked, running his hand firmly back up her spine. She arched her back slightly as he did so, falling back into him. "You disobeyed your Lord," he said, smirking down at her. "I don't have to play fair."_

"_You never gave me a direct order, my Lord." she retorted, not even bothering to try to glare at this point. His smirk widened into a proper smile. "Well now I am. You will accompany me to Meltokio. No getting around it now."_

_She closed her eyes for a moment and growled slightly, nodding. "Understood, my Lord."_

_ a href Two /a _

(Things were as peaceful as they got with Candria and Mai around for the next several years. Though gradually Melody and Ren cottoned onto the relationship going on between Candria and their boss, they showed great loyalty to both by not speaking about it to anyone. As the long months dragged on, they all watched from a distance as the young Chosen called Colette grew. Remiel in particular was impatient for her to grow faster, for the faster she made the journey of Regeneration, the faster he thought he would be made a member of the Seraphim.

By this time, Candria had finally started reading up on something Mai had mentioned. She found a spell that was horribly interesting; it had the ability to resurrect the dead under the right circumstances. And from what she knew of Martel's situation, it may just work on her... but she would need a lot more dragon power then just herself and Mai. And to get that power, she would need to release the barrier... and she still didn't want to tell Yggdrasill about it for some reason. Sure, he had asked, tried to figure out the secret, but she stood firm against telling him. She'd fallen head over heels for him, and didn't want him to do anything foolish. There was the possibility that what he had worked toward for four thousand years would be for naught if he attempted to take the barrier between the worlds down.)

(Nevertheless, she kept her perseverance, and she had a hunch that the chance she needed to take would happen soon. As she watched little Colette grow, and watched the people she grew up around, it occurred to her that these people might go on the regeneration journey with the Chosen. She watched the young man named Lloyd particularly closely, for something about him seemed so familiar... She couldn't place it, but she foresaw great things from the young swordsman. Sensing this, she also sensed a time of great darkness for Derris-Kharlan, and strove against it, though it was nothing more then a feeling of what may come.

Something that annoyed her slightly, though, is that every time she mentioned a different way then the one Yggdrasill had been using to revive Martel, he totally ignored it, or else changed the subject quickly. He was avoiding something in her words, though she knew neither what nor why.)

(As the day when Colette would be able to start out on her journey approached, things began to pick up the pace again. Preparations for her arrival, and deciding on who would accompany the Chosen as she walked along the path to the Tower of Salvation. Most thought Candria to be the one who would be selected, therefore nearly the entire population of Derris-Kharlan was shocked when it was announced that Kratos would be the guiding hand for the Chosen. Candria herself knew that Kratos would be heading to earth instead of herself, so she wasn't surprised in the least. What she had not expected was the abrupt drop in the time she was able to spend with Yggdrasill, or indeed, Melody and Ren. Even Mai seemed too busy to stay and babble, rushing about under orders from someone or another.

Candria took to perusing the libraries in the castle whenever she found herself unable to have any other company, and learned much about Yggdrasill's original journey. The hero, Mithos... She smiled to herself the first time she had picked up a book on this journey. He had twisted the stories just enough to fit with the tale of the Goddess Martel, yet allowing them to stay close to total truth in most other aspects. And still she hadn't mentioned the lands of SiLanna once.)

(As Kratos left for earth and Remiel traveled to Sylvarant to deliver the Oracle to the Chosen of Mana, Candria found time strangled against her. Even the sleepless life of the angels did not allow for much free time at the moment, and she traveled to earth more and more often to see how things were going. Keeping the desians in line where she needed and finding out a very interesting bit of information about dear Yuan.

Candria, following the Chosen's progress one day, had stumbled upon the base of the Renegades, the group that had been giving Cruxis trouble for many years. Sneaking into the base was a simple matter, and she searched it for the center power source, intent on shutting the base down. What she had not expected was to find Lloyd Irving being saved by the Chosen's group, and Yuan fleeing the scene. Knowing Kratos would get the Chosen back on course, she went after Yuan, the curiosity getting the better of her.)

"_Yuan! You dare run from the dragon maiden?" Candria called across the sands of the desert, and the figure in the distance froze, rooted to the spot. She approached the figure, which had spun around and revealed himself to be Yuan of Cruxis, or... so she had thought. She stopped when she was a good six feet or so from him, and narrowed her eyes at him through the desert sands. "Why were you hiding at a Renegade base?" she asked simply, tilting her head slightly to the side. He hesitated, and after a few moments of silence, Candria spoke again. "If I am about to find out that you are the leader of the group working against Cruxis, just say so. It's not like I'm going to go running off and telling Mithos until I know exactly what's going on."_

_He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, looking slightly shocked. "...Come. I will tell you everything if you will come with me to Tethe'alla."_

_They traveled quickly to Tethe'alla, and Yuan pointed her to a chair in what appeared to be his office, deep inside the Renegade base in the snowy region of Tethe'alla near Flanior. He faced her from across the desk in the room, looking slightly grave. "Yggdrasill..." he began, speaking slowly as if weighing each word. "Is working toward the death of the world. He wishes to revive Martel, and with her revival we will lose the great seed, and with the seed, the hope for the survival of the world. The age of half-elves he strives toward will not come to pass, it is a blind dream."_

_Candria listened closely, trying to see where he was going with this. "I see... and the Renegades exist to stop his quest and revive the great seed. But surely... if the great seed is revived, Martel would be lost."_

_Yuan nodded sadly. "Yes. But the world that has come from Yggdrasill's twisted mind is far from what Martel wanted. Her last wish was for a world free of discrimination. He has twisted that wish into something horrible."_

_Candria closed her eyes, knowing this already but not liking it being said in such a way. She sighed and opened them again. "Yuan... what if I told you there was a way to have both Martel and the great seed?"_

_Yuan's brow furrowed. "How is that possible? Surely I would have found out if there was such a thing."_

_Candria smiled slightly. "You know nothing of my kind. The dragons have spells far beyond the knowledge of anyone on this world. If there were enough of my kind working toward one single spell, it would be more then possible for us to separate Martel and the seed. Martel would be alive again; and you would be able to revive the seed in whatever way you plan on doing it now."_

_Yuan did not appear to believe his ears. "You're... sure? Does Yggdrasill know?"_

_Candria hung her head. "I'm... not sure he does. He has not listened to me whenever I brought it up. I do not think he totally trusts my brand of magic."_

_Yuan nodded. "Why is it that there are not more of your kind on this side? You speak of a world full of dragons, separate from this one."_

_Candria's eyes widened. "Ah... That has to do with Mithos as well..." she said quietly. She felt safe in telling Yuan, after all, he had just confided in her that he was the leader of the Renegades. She looked up at him. "When Mithos separated Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, it threw a barrier over my world of SiLanna. That barrier keeps most from passing through; therefore, the dragons are stuck in one place now. I was the first one in recorded history to break the barrier, and I am apparently celebrated on my side as a great hero. Or, I was when I left. I'm probably not much thought of anymore, for I have taken so long to take the barrier down."_

_Yuan nodded in understanding, looking astonished that no one realized that there was yet another world. "And Yggdrasill refuses to remove the barrier over your world?"_

_She hung her head again, looking sheepish. "...He doesn't know it exists. I haven't told him for my own reasons. I trust you to not bring it up either."_

_Yuan paused for a moment, then nodded. "I will not say a word so long as no one on Derris-Kharlan knows of my dealings with the Renegades."_

_Candria stood up. "Then I believe we have reached an understanding. I will try to persuade him to listen to what I have to say regarding another way of bringing back Martel. Tread carefully, Yuan. We're all in this for different reasons now. There will be toes stepped on at some point. Take care that they are not yours."_

_And with that, she turned on the spot and vanished into thin air, leaving a slightly confused Yuan alone in the room. After a moment, he reached forward and pressed a button on the intercom-like device on his desk. "Make preparations to head off the Chosen's group tonight in Triet. I want the Chosen killed and her companion Lloyd captured."_

(Despite her efforts, Candria was not able to convince Yggdrasill of another way of bringing Martel back. Slightly affronted that he was ignoring pretty much everything she said currently, she spent her time tailing either the Renegades or the Chosen's group, watching the failed attempts to capture Colette by not only the Renegades, but a young ninja-woman from Tethe'alla as well. Candria did not have to wonder for long why there was an assassin from Tethe'alla after Colette, for she had popped into a meeting between the top Renegades and found out that they had told the king of the plot to regenerate Sylvarant, therefore sending Tethe'alla into decline. The king in turn hired the assassin woman to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant, assuring the continued flourishing of their world.)

(Very quickly it seemed, the group that led the Chosen along was ready to head to the Tower of Salvation. Candria stuck close to Yggdrasill at this point, both to avoid getting in the way and to try to keep things under control. He had been neglecting several things in the hectic activity leading up to the Chosen's arrival, and Candria made sure nothing went amiss because of it.)

(Unfortunately, Cruxis was unable to collect the Chosen and take her to Derris-Kharlan, due in part to the Renegades, and partly to the unforeseen strength the Chosen's group possessed. The swordsman Lloyd, true to Candria's prediction, was extremely strong, and coupled with the others in his group, they were a nigh-unstoppable force. At least until Yggdrasill showed himself and smashed Lloyd into the ground. The Renegades had interfered, and the group escaped, much to the fury of Yggdrasill. It was perhaps lucky that Remiel had perished at the hands of Lloyd, rather then Yggdrasill's, for the death surely would have been much worse had he been named a failure in the eyes of Cruxis.)

(The group fled to Tethe'alla and was followed by both Cruxis and the Renegades, almost obsessively so by the former. Kratos was sent to give warnings, and Pronyma was sent to offer the Chosen of Tethe'alla a deal, spy for them in return for the removal of the Chosen's responsibilities. Everything was going right for Cruxis again, the Chosen was playing right into their hands. And yet something was amiss.

Candria could see it now, and was baffled as to why Yggdrasill could not. Kratos was leaking information to the Chosen's group, and that group itself was gaining in strength and number. She hated thinking it, but she could not see how he could win this battle.)

(The day came and went when Cruxis could have again captured the Chosen, and she once again slid out of their grasp. Candria could no longer stand by and watch, she confronted Yggdrasill on what he was doing and tried to make him see the way she did. The results... were devastating.)

"_Why can't you see that you're fighting a losing battle?" she asked, watching him pace around the room in a towering temper after the Chosen had escaped yet again. "Why won't you listen to me when I say there are other ways to get what you desire?"_

_He rounded on her, fists clenched. "I've worked too hard and too long on this ritual to abandon it now on a whim. Surely you can understand that." he said. His voice was quite level, though he was clearly angry. "As for it being a losing battle... I do not agree with you. The Chosen has been lucky. Her luck will run out at some point."_

"_But will it run out in time?" she asked quietly, watching him closely. "You have refused to listen to anything I say for the past month. Does my opinion matter that little to you all of a sudden?"_

_He sighed and resumed pacing, looking cross indeed. "Of course I've listened to you. I've just had other things on my mind."_

_She tilted her head to the side. "Oh really. How is it that the resurrection spell is performed again?"_

_He paused, thinking. "...That's... unimportant." he said evasively, casting her an annoyed glance before resuming his pacing. She smirked in a disappointed way. "You've disregarded me so much that you can't even admit you've neglected me."_

_He made a noise of impatience, stopping near the window and glaring out of it. "I told you, I've had other things on my mind, things we went over many times in calmer periods. You knew long ago that this time would come, when the Chosen was on her journey and I would be engrossed in that process."_

_She remained silent for a few moments, feeling a dead weight encompass her heart. She closed her eyes tight for a moment and opened them again, as if trying to convince herself this was a bad dream. Seeing that it was not a dream, she stood up, and walked to the center of the room. "Well then, my Lord..." she said quietly. He looked around in slight surprise; it had been a while since she had called him 'lord.' She swallowed, looking at him sadly. "It appears you have no further need for your last remaining advisor."_

_He blinked, not understanding. "Advisor... oh. I had forgotten you supposedly wore that title."_

_She looked at the floor, hating herself for doing what she was about to do. "I was under the impression that I was here to give advice and assistance. If you are too busy to even listen to what I have to say, I no longer have a place here."_

_He took a step toward her, his confusion mounting. "Wait a moment... you... can't be serious." he stood, looking at her, confusion turning to realization. "You..."_

_She swallowed again, willing herself not to cry. She looked up at him again, hardly able to believe the words coming out of her own mouth. "I love you, Mithos. But I can't force myself to watch your fall from power. If you will not allow me to help... I have no choice but to leave. I can't watch you suffer."_

_He blinked several times, trying to soak in what she was saying. "...You're turning against me?!"_

_She held up a hand to stop him from speaking, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. "You know I'll always love you, Mithos. But right now..." she smiled faintly through the pain. "I just don't like you. You took this way too far. I will not oppose you. But... if you will not allow me to help, I will make sure I'm not in your way either."_

"_Wait just a minu-"_

"_Perhaps we will meet again in calmer times, after you've calmed down. Perhaps you can prove me wrong and succeed in reviving Martel, and creating the world you desire so much. I will have no excuses if you can succeed. I will be... very pleased if I am wrong." Two tears fell from her eyes onto her face, and she took a deep breath, unwilling to look at him again. "And I hope should that day come... you can forgive me. I'm sorry, my Lord... but for now, this is... goodbye." she turned her back on him and was gone, but not before letting a strangled sob escape her mouth. He merely stared at the spot where she had stood, unable, no, unwilling to believe what he had just heard._

(Mai and Rebecca left Derris-Kharlan the same day Candria said her sorrowful farewell; and the three of them took to tailing the Chosen's group. Never actively interfering, but there was some suspicion that Rebecca was giving them subtle hints in the direction they should head next. Neither of the dragons could prove it, however, so it went without much spoken about it.)

(It was watched as the group began severing Mana links between the two worlds. It was watched as the great seed went out of control, causing a great beast of a tree appear and destroy half of Sylvarant. It was watched as Mithos, masquerading as a small and lonesome child, infiltrated the Chosen's group. It was watched as the Chosen was stolen again at the Tower of Salvation, as the other Chosen showed his true colors and betrayed the group he had been traveling with. It was watched as, one by one, the group was picked off inside the tower, as they battled their way toward Colette. And still the dragons did nothing. Rebecca, who had been watching over Yggdrasill for the past week or so, came to Candria in alarm as Lloyd, battling through the tower, lost his last companion to the traps.)

(Yggdrasill had succeeded in transferring Martel's being into Colette's body. Candria watched, unseen, as a quick succession of events played out, first the rebanding of Lloyd's friends and Zelos's return to them. Then Pronyma's great battle with Lloyd and his scorned friends. Candria watched as, pleading for her life, Yggdrasill killed her for her failure. She watched as Colette stood, eyes out of focus, and spoke in Martel's voice. She spoke of how her brother had gone horribly wrong, and she spoke of her new last wish. How she wished for the twisted world he had created be returned to its former state.

She watched in horror as, hurt and confused by Martel's words, Mithos lost it completely. As Zelos freed Colette from Martel's consciousness and she regained herself, Mithos turned to the group at large, ready for the fight. Candria, rooted to the spot in fear, could only watch as the one she loved was outmatched by the Chosen and her friends. The dragon tore herself away from the battle as Mithos fell, hysterical claims of leaving the world which no longer held anything for him behind and fleeing to Derris-Kharlan with his sister, causing him to vanish, fading into his Crystal.)

(Dejected and broken, Candria sought out Yuan and the Renegades, who had been forced into hiding after Mithos had found out about Yuan's double-dealing. She learned that all hope was not lost, for Lloyd had fled to fight his father, Kratos, for the seal over Origin's sword. The sword that had split the worlds in two, and thrown the barrier across SiLanna. If Lloyd succeeded in gaining power over the sword, and went to restore the worlds to their former state, SiLanna would surely be freed as well. Candria asked Yuan to keep an eye on the battle for the sword as she ran to Derris-Kharlan, to see if she could find the Great Seed and if it was indeed possible to bring Martel back: her way.)

(Lloyd had succeeded in attaining the sword; and Candria had attained that it was more then possible to bring Martel back if she had enough dragons helping her. She left to seek out Lloyd, plead with him to release the barrier over SiLanna before doing anything else, and hope that she could convince enough of her people to come and help.)

(To her amazement, she did not even need to ask Lloyd to break the barrier, though that was probably a good thing, for by the time she had returned to earth, she found the Tower of Salvation in ruin, and found out that Mithos had possessed Colette and taken her to Derris-Kharlan. The reason she need not ask Lloyd to drop the barrier, though, was that there were several dragons roaming the lands near the base of the tower, curiously examining the large rocks at its base. She recognized one of them.)

"_...SISTER." she screamed, transforming into her dragon form quickly and bounding toward a large green dragon with purple markings. The green dragon looked about in alarm as she was tackled to the ground by the crimson one, but then squealed in response upon realizing who it was. The two gabbled in the dragon language for a moment, both transforming into human forms and engulfing one another in a bone-crushing hug._

"_What took you so long to drop that barrier?" the green one joked, poking Candria in the shoulder playfully. Candria shook her head. "I'll explain later, what I need you do to right now is go back and round up as many magic-users as you possibly can. All that will come and perhaps more, within the space of about ten minutes."_

_The formerly-green dragon blinked but nodded, transforming quickly and flying away at a great speed. Candria transformed again as well and began flying about over the other dragons, some of them shouting words of praise at her, some of them totally ignoring her._

_Her sister returned quickly with nearly seventy dragons in tow. When Candria expressed her amazement at the sheer number of dragons that had come, the green one shrugged. "We were lucky that there was a sorcerer's convention this week." she said offhandedly, and Candria gave a weary laugh at her sheer dumb luck as she took off, leading the band of dragons out into the now purple sky, to Derris-Kharlan. _

(Candria reached the innermost part of the castle to find Lloyd and the rest already there, fighting against Mithos with all they had. She gasped and flew between the two, sensing immediate danger to her plans... and her heart. To the questions of "Who are you," "What are you," and "What are YOU doing here," she just had one answer.)

"_I cannot allow the one I love to be defeated for good when I have something to say about it." She said simply, holding the child-form Mithos at bay with one claw. On the wall behind them, near the great green glowy thing that was the seed, Mai and Rebecca appeared, smiling serenely down at them all._

"_The one you... WHAT?" Lloyd said, gaping at the dragon before her. Raine gasped softly. "You're... You can't be one of those dragons... can you?" she asked, taking half a step toward Candria. The dragon turned her great head to stare at the half-elf woman, and their eyes met. They understood each other without even having to speak. She turned her head to address the rest of the stunned-looking group, still holding Mithos still with ease. "I have come to take matters out of your hands. I've watched from afar for quite some time... you all are strong. In both body and spirit." She gave Mithos a look that clearly meant "DO. NOT. MOVE. D:" and released him, transforming into her human state. Everyone in the party, save Raine, gasped. Lloyd gaped at the human where the dragon had stood. "You... are a dragon?" he said weakly. "I didn't know people could turn into dragons!"_

_Nearly everyone sweatdropped. Raine smacked him with her staff._

_Candria cleared her throat, speaking to the group at large. "You have been fighting against the destruction of the world. Against the revival of Martel, and the loss of the great seed. You do not need to worry any longer, for I have a way to have both. The seed, with your help Lloyd, will grow and flourish, and my people will help Martel to reawaken."_

_At the mention of her people, the air was suddenly filled with the sound of beating wings. Dragons of all colors, shapes and sizes were appearing, circling the platform they stood on._

"_Lady Martel shall live once more..." Candria said, waving a hand in the air beside her. Together, Mai and Rebecca lowered the seed to the level where Candria stood. "...And the worlds will live as they were meant to be. All three of them."_

"_...Three of them?" Mithos piped up, staring at her in bewilderment. "Your world?"_

_She did not turn to look at him, but her eyes took on a somber glaze as she spoke next. "Yes. When Tethe'alla and Sylvarant were split into two, a blockade was thrown up over my world, the realm of SiLanna. All were stuck there until I managed to break it. That is why I came here... I came here to break the barrier so the dragons could roam free again."_

_Mithos opened his mouth to say something but was shoved aside by several dragons that had just landed, all in mid-transformation as they did so. The now-human dragons gathered around the seed and began to glow, and Candria smiled faintly as she approached Raine. "May I borrow your staff?" she asked, and Raine handed over her staff without a word. "Thank you." Candria said, turning to the seed and waving the staff in the air over it. The air froze. The sky stopped swirling, the sparkles the seed gave off slowed and paused in midair, everyone watched in awe as the dragons began to speak, in ethereal, distant voices._

_The spell slowly caused the seed to move into the sky as a small glowing ball remained in the center of the spell casters, and as the dragons in the sky began to speak with the ones on the platform, the shining ball morphed and changed form. Slowly it took on a recognizable form, and even more slowly, took on the appearance it was meant to. Martel stood, alive once again. _

(The dragons spell done, they grabbed the great Seed before it had the chance to float far, and with help from Lloyd and the Eternal Sword, the seed floated back to earth and germinated near the foot of the tower, becoming a small seedling of a tree. The dragon that had caught the seed and carried Lloyd to it, after dropping Lloyd on the ground near the tree, transformed and chose to become the tree's guardian. She later assured everyone, once they had returned to earth, that the tree would bloom wonderfully under her care.)

(Mithos, torn between angry at his failure and ecstatic at having his sister back, merely looked on as Candria and Martel spoke nearby, unable to hear what they spoke about. After a few moments, Candria had nodded and walked away, hopping off the platform and dropping several feet before turning back into the dragon and flying off. Martel turned to her brother, whose face lit up as she approached. Martel told her brother just enough for him to guess she was not pleased with him, but she was glad to be able to hug him again. It is said that she told her brother that they would together work toward making the world they wished for, in peace. On one condition.)

"_Candria!"_

_The dragon maiden turned, surprised to see Mithos standing just a few feet from her. She had flown to the Fooji Mountains, finally wanting some peace and quiet after the long time she had spent following people around. It was obvious that he had had no trouble finding her. "Mit... Yes, my Lord?" she said, changing her words halfway through._

_He approached her, changing forms as he walked so she actually had to look up to see into his eyes rather then down. She had to suppress a smile at this; she had always found the fact that he actually took the form of a thirteen-year-old odd._

_He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He closed it again and took a deep breath, but Candria found she didn't need to hear anything from him. "It's alright." she said, smiling slightly at him. "Love is blind. You were blinded by your love for your sister. I can understand that."_

_He shook his head. "I... shouldn't have been blinded like that," he said, but she raised a hand to stop him once again. "Hindsight is also 20-20. We see what we should have done after things are already over. I have no regrets."_

_He blinked, clearly confused now as to what she was getting at this time. "Regrets?... I only regret one thing." he said quietly. "Losing you."_

_She looked to the side, smiling slightly. "...We can start all over. The worlds will be in shock for a short time while they adjust to being together again. We can start by easing the shock. Surely half-breeds like us will come to be accepted somewhere if we work hard enough, eh?" she grinned at him. "Come on. There's one gigantic world out there for us and nothing to stop us anymore."_

_He considered her for a moment, apparently trying to figure out if she was fooling him or not. After a moment, he smiled slightly, then chuckled. "You're a hard one to drag down aren't you?" he asked, shaking his head gently in disbelief. She smiled wider and grabbed him by the wrist, taking him further up the mountain. "Come on. It'll be just like when you set out with Martel. Only this time we're forewarned of what may be coming." _

(The two were stopped from setting out at once, first by her family bombarding her, then by Martel gently reminding them that there were things to repair in Tethe'alla and Sylvarant before they could start out on anything new. A promise was made, though. When the worlds were at peace and on the path to acceptance of those that were shunned, Martel would finally be allowed to rest in peace, unworried of her brother doing anything foolish any longer. He had the entire dragon kingdom to keep him under control.

Though, as Rebecca would offhandedly mention at any available moment, that wouldn't be nearly enough to hold both him and Candria should they go on a rampage. Angels and Dragons together could be held by no one.)


End file.
